Shower door assembly

Abstract

A shower door assembly is provided with a shower door pane, and a track with a side opening. A pair of wheels is mounted for rotation upon the shower door pane. Each of the pair of wheels is sized to be received in the track for translation along the track. A diameter of each of the pair of wheels is greater than a vertical dimension of the side opening to prevent removal of the pair of wheels from the track while in a vertical orientation, and to permit the pair of wheels to be removed in an angled orientation.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A shower door assembly comprising:
 a track with a side opening; 
 a shower door pane; 
 a pair of wheels mounted for rotation upon the shower door pane, each of the pair of wheels sized to be received in the track for translation along the track, wherein a diameter of each of the pair of wheels is greater than a vertical dimension of the side opening to prevent removal of the pair of wheels from the track while in a vertical orientation, and to permit the pair of wheels to be removed in an angled orientations; 
 wherein the side opening provides access to a channel which provides a track guide for receipt of the pair of wheels; and 
 a bracket attached to an upper end of the shower door pane, wherein at least one of the pair of wheels is attached to the bracket such that the bracket and the shower door pane are oriented external of the track. 
 
     
     
       2. The shower door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the track has a continuous cross-section along a length of the track. 
     
     
       3. The shower door assembly of  claim 2  wherein the track has the continuous cross-section along the length without assembly notches formed through the track. 
     
     
       4. The shower door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the track is formed as a unitary component. 
     
     
       5. The shower door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the angled orientation for removal of the pair of wheels from the side opening of the track is up to thirty degrees offset. 
     
     
       6. The shower door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the track comprises an overhang portion to bound a limit of the side opening. 
     
     
       7. The shower door assembly of  claim 6  wherein the overhang portion is sized to provide a cavity within the track spaced apart from, and opposed to, the channel. 
     
     
       8. The shower door assembly of  claim 1  further comprising a post attached to the bracket to space the at least one wheel away from the bracket. 
     
     
       9. The shower door assembly of  claim 8  wherein a dimension between the post and the at least one wheel provides a limit to a range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel. 
     
     
       10. The shower door assembly of  claim 9  further comprising a guide sized to receive the shower door pane for translation therethrough, wherein the guide prevents rotation of the shower door pane relative to the track. 
     
     
       11. The shower door assembly of  claim 10  wherein the guide overlaps the shower door pane by a dimension that is greater than the limit to the range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel. 
     
     
       12. The shower door assembly of  claim 11  wherein the bracket has a plurality of mounting positions to permit vertical adjustment of the shower door pane relative to the guide; and
 wherein a range of adjustment of the bracket provides the overlap of the guide and the shower door pane by the dimension that is greater than the limit to the range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel. 
 
     
     
       13. The shower door assembly of  claim 10  wherein the guide overlaps the shower door pane at every position within a range of traverse translation of the shower door pane along the track. 
     
     
       14. The shower door assembly of  claim 10  further comprising a second track spaced apart from the first track, wherein the guide is installed on the second track. 
     
     
       15. The shower door assembly of  claim 9  wherein the track comprises an overhang portion to bound a limit of the side opening; and
 wherein the dimension between the post and the at least one wheel is less than a dimension between the post and the overhang portion to limit the range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel. 
 
     
     
       16. The shower door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the side opening faces an inner side of the shower door assembly; and
 wherein the shower door pane is further defined as an inner shower door pane provided on the inner side of the track. 
 
     
     
       17. The shower door assembly of  claim 16  further comprising an outer shower door pane; and
 a second pair of wheels mounted for rotation upon the outer shower door pane, each of the second pair of wheels sized to be received upon a top surface of the track for translation along the track and to orient the outer shower door pane at an outer side of the track, spaced apart from the inner shower door pane. 
 
     
     
       18. A shower door assembly comprising:
 a track with a side opening; 
 a shower door pane; 
 a pair of posts connected to the shower door pane; 
 a pair of wheels each mounted for rotation upon one of the pair of posts, each of the pair of wheels sized to be received in the track for translation along the track, wherein limited clearance for the pair of wheels in the side opening prevents removal of the pair of wheels from the track while in a vertical orientation; and 
 a guide provided at a lower end of the shower door pane and sized to receive the shower door pane for translation relative thereto; and 
 wherein a distance from each post to an outer diameter of the corresponding wheel is less than an overlap between the guide and a bottom of the shower door pane to limit disengagement of the pair of wheels from the track in the vertical orientation. 
 
     
     
       19. The shower door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the side opening faces an inner side of the shower door assembly;
 wherein the shower door pane is further defined as an inner shower door pane provided on the inner side of the track; 
 wherein the shower door assembly further comprises:
 an outer shower door pane, and 
 a second pair of wheels mounted for rotation upon the outer shower door pane, each of the second pair of wheels sized to be received upon a top surface of the track for translation along the track and to orient the outer shower door pane at an outer side of the track, spaced apart from the inner shower door pane. 
 
 
     
     
       20. A shower door assembly comprising:
 a track with a side opening; 
 a shower door pane; 
 a pair of wheels mounted for rotation upon the shower door pane, each of the pair of wheels sized to be received in the track for translation along the track, wherein a diameter of each of the pair of wheels is greater than a vertical dimension of the side opening to prevent removal of the pair of wheels from the track while in a vertical orientation, and to permit the pair of wheels to be removed in an angled orientation; 
 a bracket attached to an upper end of the shower door pane, wherein at least one of the pair of wheels is attached to the bracket; 
 a post attached to the bracket to space the at least one wheel away from the bracket, wherein a dimension between the post and the at least one wheel provides a limit to a range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel; and 
 a guide sized to receive the shower door pane for translation therethrough, wherein the guide prevents rotation of the shower door pane relative to the track; 
 wherein the guide overlaps the shower door pane by a dimension that is greater than the limit to the range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel; 
 wherein the bracket has a plurality of mounting positions to permit vertical adjustment of the shower door pane relative to the guide; and 
 wherein a range of adjustment of the bracket provides the overlap of the guide and the shower door pane by the dimension that is greater than the limit to the range of vertical translation of the at least one wheel.